72417 - History, Society and Family (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be versed in the main sources and material documents for the history of society and the family in the modern era. They will be able to evaluate historiographic trends in relation to a topic of study, read and interpret edited and unpublished sources, and approach texts and data from an original standpoint as well as contextualize general problems in specific research cases. They will be aware of the importance of the historical-environmental heritage and the relevance of concepts, languages and complex categories seen in a diachronic perspective. They will be capable of collecting, selecting, processing, and summarizing complex documentary data and information so as to formulate independent conclusions and opinions. They will organize information logically and outline it with methodological rigour, care and precision. They will have acquired self-criticism and an ability to choose the learning tools best suited to their own skills and purposes.

Course contents

The course intends to introduce in the study of social history through the use of some basic texts in dialogue with the classics of historiography that have given particular emphasis in recent decades to the observation of past society (in particular for the centuries of the modern age, 16th-19th centuries), the organisation of individual and collective life (social hierarchies, birth, analysis of the socio-familial context, relational dimension, affection and sexuality, marriage and work, sickness and care) through the historiographic categories of feminine and masculine.

What is social history, what fields of study does social history dialogue with, what themes does it address, its categories and concepts, what types of sources does it use? These are some of the questions that are meant to be answered in the first part of the course.

Specific analytical studies will examine women's roles in the society of the ancien régime (Europe in the early modern age): birth, marriage, nuptiality, maternity and professional spheres. Particular attention will be given to the history of the family and the bonds between subjects within the socio-historical framework, exploring direct sources and secondary literature to show symmetries and dissimilarities, harmonies and transgressions, conforming and illicit sexualities. The reflection will examine the concept of social marginality and discipline from a historiographic perspective interested in restoring its complexity.

Readings/Bibliography

A)

- Claudia Pancino, Storia sociale. Metodi esempi strumenti, Marsilio, 2003;

- Paolo Sorcinelli, Viaggio nella storia sociale, Milano, 2009;

B)

- Michela De Giorgio, Christiane Klapish-Zuber (a cura di), Storia del matrimonio, Roma-Bari, 1996 (solo la prima e la seconda parte);

- Marzio Barbagli, David I. Kertzer, Storia della famiglia in Europa. Dal Cinquecento alla Rivoluzione francese, Roma-Bari, 2001(parte seconda e parte quarta);

- Raffaella Sarti, Vita di casa. Abitare, mangiare, vestire nell'Europa moderna, Roma-Bari, 2003;

- Cesarina Casanova, La famiglia italiana in età moderna, Roma, 2002 insieme a Daniela Lombardi, Storia del matrimonio. Dal Medioevo a oggi, Bologna, 2008;

- Marco Cavina, Nozze di sangue. Storia della violenza coniugale, Roma-Bari, 2011;

- Marina, Garbellotti, Per carità: poveri e politiche assistenziali nell'Italia moderna, Roma, 2013;

- Francesca Ferrando, Assistere, correggere, rieducare. I ricoveri per mendicanti a Genova, Bologna e Venezia (secoli XVII-XVIII), Roma, 2023;

C)

- Ottavia Niccoli (a cura di), Rinascimento al femminile, Roma-Bari, 1991;

- Natalie Zemon Davis, Donne ai margini. Tre vite del XVII secolo, 1996;

- Merry E. Wiesner, Le donne nell'Europa moderna, 1500-1750, Torino, 2003;

- Giulia Calvi (a cura di), Innesti. Donne e genere nella storia sociale, Roma, 2004;

- Anna Bellavitis, Il lavoro delle donne nelle città dell’Europa moderna, Roma, Viella, 2016;

- Marina Garbellotti, Maria Clara Rossi (a cura di), Madri e padri sociali tra passato e presente. Per una storia dell’adozione, Roma, 2016;

- Nadia Maria Filippini, Generare, partorire, nascere. Una storia dall'antichità alla provetta, Roma, Viella, 2017;

- Daniela Lombardi, Madri nubili e padri incerti. Secoli XVI-XIX, Roma, 2024;

- Cinque saggi a scelta da Vincenzo Lagioia, Maria Pia Paoli, Rossella Rinaldi (a cura), La fama delle donne. Pratiche femminili e società tra Medioevo ed Età moderna, Roma, 2020 e cinque saggi a scelta da Vincenzo Lagioia, Marina Montesano e Francesca Roversi Monaco, Intorno ai margini. Identità, stereotipi e rappresentazione del femminile tra Medioevo ed Età moderna, Roma, 2025;

D)

- Silvana Seidel Menchi, Diego Quaglioni (a cura di), Trasgressioni. Seduzione, concubinato, adulterio, bigamia (XIV-XVIII secolo), Bologna, 2004 (otto saggi a scelta);

- Giovanni Romeo, Amori proibiti. I concubini tra Chiesa e Inquisizione, Roma-Bari, 2008;

- Umberto Grassi, Giuseppe Marcocci (a cura di), Le trasgressioni della carne. Il desiderio omosessuale nel mondo islamico e cristiano, secc. XII-XX, Roma,2015 e Fernanda Alfieri, Vincenzo Lagioia (a cura di), Infami macchie. Sessualità maschili e indisciplina in età moderna, Roma, 2018;

- Marzio Barbagli, Comprare piacere. Sessualità e amore venale dal Medioevo a oggi, Bologna, 2020 (dieci capitoli a scelta);

- Umberto Grassi, Sodoma. Persecuzioni, affetti, pratiche sociali (secoli V-XVIII), Roma, 2019;

- Tommaso Scaramella, Un doge infame. Sodomia e nonconformismo sessuale a Venezia nel Settecento, Venezia, 2021.

Teaching methods

Lessons in the classroom with ppt presentation.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

12 CFU

Students attending will have to choose a text from point A),one text from point B), which can be replaced by attendance of at least 4 seminars from the seminar "Fonti e metodologie della ricerca storica" (the seminar programme will be uploaded later on the professor's teaching material pages), the content of which will be verified in the oral exam; one text from point C); one text from point D).

Non-attending students will add another text to this study plan to be chosen from point C) or D) (equivalent to 5 texts).

Verification is in oral form on the basis of the topics discussed during the lessons and works listed in the bibliography.

The exam will assess the student's command of the material studied in the course. The student will be judged on his ability to summarise and critically discuss topics raised in the course, making use of the exam bibliography and the course tools provided.

The assessment will thus consider the student's:
- knowledge and understanding of the topics covered;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

As indicated by the University, there are 6 examination sessions with in the calendar year, in principle in January, March, June, July, September and October/November.

An oral midterm is scheduled after the teaching suspension between the end of the first part and the beginning of the second part.

 

6 CFU

The attending student for the examination will have to choose one text from point A), one text from point B), or C) or D) (equal to two). Non-attending students will prepare three texts: one from point A) and two texts to be chosen from points B) or C) or D).

Verification is in oral form on the basis of the topics discussed during the lessons and works listed in the bibliography.

The exam will assess the student's command of the material studied in the course. The student will be judged on his ability to summarise and critically discuss topics raised in the course, making use of the exam bibliography and the course tools provided.

The assessment will thus consider the student's:
- knowledge and understanding of the topics covered;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities:

please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

 

Teaching tools

Power points summarizing the contents of the lessons, pdf files of proposed readings will be available on virtuale.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Vincenzo Lagioia